The second lesson, ‘On the Writing of Letters, Reports, Epistles, Writs, Bills and Such’, was considerably less enjoyable, mainly because Aronzo was in it. As soon as Clariel came into the Second Hall, where the lesson was held, he approached her with a smirk on his face.
‘Lady Clariel,’ he said, with an exaggerated bow. ‘I trust you are well?’
‘Well enough,’ replied Clariel, moving to step past him and go to the closest empty desk. Aronzo blocked her path, so she stopped and looked at him with a withering gaze.
‘You hurt your hands, I believe,’ said Aronzo. ‘Those annoying rebels from the Flat are becoming too troublesome.’
Clariel nodded and stepped sideways. Aronzo stepped sideways too, the smirk changing to a full-blown smile, showing off all his white teeth.
‘And poor little Belatiel,’ continued Aronzo. ‘Got stuck in the shoulder. More than a little prick, I hear.’
Clariel’s eyes narrowed and she felt the anger rising. Her right hand was halfway to her sleeve before she even knew it, fingers reaching for the hilt of her knife. She stopped the movement and breathed in very slowly through her nose, counting silently to three, and out her mouth, counting again. As Gully’s book had told her, she imagined the anger blowing out with the air.
‘I suppose you could say he was very lucky,’ said Aronzo, still smiling.
‘I suppose you could,’ replied Clariel coldly. Inside, her mind was putting pieces together and not liking what she made from them. Denima had not asked about Belatiel, and Clariel was sure she would have done so if she’d known he was injured. Clearly Belatiel’s presence at the supposed attack was not part of the general rumour, though it would be now, since everyone else in the room was watching and listening intently.
So how did Aronzo know Belatiel was wounded, and that it was in the shoulder?
‘Please allow me to take my seat. I believe we are about to begin our lesson.’
Aronzo arched his eyebrows in mock surprise.
‘So keen to learn, Lady Clariel? I had not thought you so intent on your lessons. It gives me hope.’
‘Hope for what?’ spat Clariel, the anger rising again, till she clamped down on it and resumed the steady breathing, slowly in and slowly out, slowly in and slowly out.
‘Hope is a wonderful thing,’ said Aronzo. He turned and walked away, only a few steps, before looking back over his shoulder. ‘We can discuss it at dinner tonight.’
‘I’ll be otherwise occupied!’ said Clariel, louder than she had intended, causing some gasps and titters among the rest of the class. Clariel ignored them, sat down at the nearest desk and selected a quill from the three or four that had been cut and put there by the Academy servants earlier, trying to stay calm as she inked it and tested it on a piece of scrap paper.
My temper is my own and answers to me, she wrote. My temper is my own and answers to me.
She was writing the phrase for the third time when the teacher came in, a middle-aged man who had ink stains on the sleeves of his shirt, and a pleasant but slightly absent face. Clariel noted he had a Charter mark on his forehead not very well concealed by the same sort of paste Valannie applied expertly to Clariel’s skin. He stopped to introduce himself to Clariel as he went past. She flipped over the piece of paper as he bowed, so he couldn’t read it.
‘Master Kaernon,’ he said. ‘Scribe by profession, teacher upon occasion. Welcome to the Academy, Lady Clariel.’
It was a fairly perfunctory greeting and he did not wait for an answer, proceeding straight to the lectern at the front of the hall, where he opened a book and called out, ‘Pages fifty-two to fifty-five, Heribert’s Misleading Letters, read the piece on appearing to agree while not agreeing at all, and then we shall discuss.’
Clariel found the book under the lid of her desk, one of the three books there, opened it and began to read. But while her eyes took in the words, she did not retain them, nor think about the content. She was wondering what Aronzo meant by ‘we can discuss it at dinner tonight’, whether he was a good shot with a crossbow, and how well he could swim. She was also thinking about collecting her money from Kargrin and getting out of Belisaere, what she would say to the King in just a few hours, the possibility of meeting Aziminil the Free Magic creature again and what she might do if that happened … There were so many things that were more important than writing misleading letters.
But she had to listen to the discussion about such letters, and then write one, all of which seemed to take far longer than two hours. In part to avoid Aronzo and partly because she simply couldn’t bear being cooped up again, Clariel raced away as soon as Kaernon dismissed the class.
Denima hurried after her, and caught her by the front gate.
‘Clariel! Aronzo said that Bel was hurt? Is he all right?’
‘Yes,’ said Clariel hurriedly. After a moment’s reflection she added, ‘At least as far as I know. I’ve been told he is … injured … but recovering.’
‘But what happened? Was he attacked too?’
‘I can’t talk now,’ said Clariel. ‘I have to go. Sorry!’
She rushed out through the gate. Valannie was already waiting, and rather than trying to encourage Clariel to stay and lunch with her fellow students, this time she was anxious to get her back home as quickly as possible.
‘We must hurry, Lady Clariel,’ she said. ‘You need to dress and I will have to repaint your face as best as I can, indeed I don’t know how I can make it last to this evening! If only I’d been told earlier!’
‘Told what?’ asked Clariel crossly, as she led the way into the street, with Heyren, Linel and the new guard – an older, very tough-looking woman called Reyvin – rushing to keep up.
‘That you would be dining at the Governor’s House tonight,’ said Valannie. ‘And going straight from the Palace instead of coming home first!’
‘I see,’ said Clariel grimly. ‘Am I to go alone, or with my parents?’
‘Oh, with Lady Jaciel and your father, of course,’ prattled Valannie. ‘It is a signal honour, you know, to be invited to dine with just the Governor’s family. But no surprise. Of course, it would have been easier tomorrow night, what with you going to …’
Her voice dropped and she looked around nervously before adding in a much quieter tone, ‘Going to see the King. I do hope he doesn’t keep you long, but with him as mad as he is, who can say?’
‘That’s enough!’ snapped Clariel.
Valannie gave her a mulish look, but didn’t speak for the rest of the hasty walk home, via the stone garden on the ridge. Clariel noticed that the steps had indeed been freshly repaired, a wooden framework still around the broken piece of stone to keep the new work in place.
There was a great bustle back at the house, with many extra guards in the livery of the Goldsmiths formed up loosely outside the gate, and several palanquins and bearers inside the courtyard. Apparently Clariel and her parents could not risk getting dusty and hot by walking to the Palace. Or perhaps couldn’t get dusty and hot for the visit after their royal audience. The Governor’s dinner continued to occupy Valannie’s thoughts and speech as she rushed Clariel upstairs to dress in the new, made-to-measure clothes that had been delivered just in time from Mistress Emenor. She also repainted Clariel’s face, once again burying her Charter mark under the thickest paste, smoothed with a brush and a curious light stone. Clariel had to admit Valannie was an extremely skilful lady’s maid. Even if she was also a spy for Governor Kilp and couldn’t be trusted at all.
When Clariel came back downstairs an hour later, she felt more like a painting of herself than herself, a thought that caused her to begin to smile until she remembered that this would crack the plasterwork on her face or some such thing. She had on no less than five silken tunics, but they were so light she hardly noticed any weight or constriction and had to admit that in the warm and humid air of Belisaere they made much more sense than her normal clothes. She still had her small dagger in her sleeve.
‘There you are,’ said Jaciel as Clariel entered the courtyard. Her mother was attired similarly to herself, but was also wearing the new golden necklace of teardrops that she had made, and her gold-dotted scarf was fastened with a large golden brooch set with sapphires and diamonds in the shape of a swooping hawk, also her own work. ‘You will go in the first palanquin with Valannie.’
‘Yes, mother,’ replied Clariel. Jaciel did look very regal, she thought. She was proud of her mother, as a truly great Goldsmith and artist. But she had often wished that she could swap this grand personage for someone easier to get on with. Her aunt Lemmin, for example. Jaciel would actually be a better aunt than mother, she thought. Good for gifts and visits and influence, without needing to offer much actual love or time …